Reversible truck



March 30, 1926.

H. A. HOUSTON ET AL REVERS IBLE TRUCK Filed April 26, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Harold A. Hausfon 61 Frank L. A/ben ATTORNEY March 30 1926. 1,578,524 H. A. HOUSTON ET AL REVERSIBLE TRUCK Filed April 26, 1925 '2. Sheets-Sheet 2 mvzufoas Harold A. h'ousfon 8: Frank L.Alben WITNESSES:

Patented Mar. so, 1926..

" UNITED-STA HAROLD A. HOUSTON AND FRANK L. 'ALBEN' OF ,WILKINSBURG, rEl TNfiYLvAiqllt, ASQ

.SIGNORS 'IO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MarinFaereruns'ooiirriiivrg;ii-con7 y PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

REVERSIBLE TRUCK.

Application filed April I Serial No. 634,872.

To all whom it may concern-.3

Be it known that we, HAROLD 'A. Hoosrorq,

a citizen of the United States, anda resi-- dent of "Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State: of, Pennsylvania, and FRANK L. ALBEN, a citiz'en'of the United States, and a resident of WVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and Stateof. Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reversible Trucks, of which the following isgaspecification.

' Our invention relates to railway vehicles,

' pended from uch links.

more especially to the guiding t 'iicksfthat are employed therewith for the'pur'p'o'se of providing proper s teering actionof the vehicle body relative to the rails.

It is among the objects ofthisiinventionto provide a radial truck which shallbe adapted-to provide positive steering action automatically for any direction of 1novement of the vehicle without manual or other control mechanism. 7 j

' Itis a further object of this invention to provide Such an automatic steering device which Shall be ofsiinple, compact andfliir rable construction, which shall be mechanically eflicient and which. shall be. adapted ing trucks in conjunction with the center pin connectionto a Swing bolster which'is Sus- 1 iMosto f these-strum tures effect steering ortrailing 'ofthe guide struck relative to the curvature encountered on the rails. To obtain a. positive steering mechanism, ithas been necessary to provide- Soine actuating means for shifting theposi tion ot'tlie linkson the truck illflllSOlTl Ol itra ne so as to direct the thrust transmitted from the vehicle bodyilaiei'ally in a direction dependingupon the rail ;cu ifvatuie.. These shifting mechanismshave been of va.

rious types, embodying 'maiiually iactuated Serial No. 599,521 filed November 7, 1 922, is described a swing bolstei aving fined and movable supports; V v Dari present.

constitutes parts of the U ing the principles I of four invention -V'arious forms'of guiding mechanism empended from means forthe fixed-and movable supports of V Said bolster; We'provide a-shifting dev ce which is mechanical inits function and-en} i tiiely automatic in producing the steering ac-tioirof the guide "truck relative to the- 1 vehicle body a-nd the rails. The device e nbodies a screweand-nut riie-cli'anisin which,"

the shifting links.

.V-Inthe accompanying drawings constitut- 111g a part hereof andinwhichl ke'referenoe characters designate like parts, 1 F gurel; is an end v levational Ttially 'in s'ec't Fig.'2 is aplan View thereoshifting'mechanisrn;andf F g. 3 1S aside elevational viewjthereof.

rotating axle and I v w pf ron, of a guiding truck embody- I f,showing'the I relative position and, connection of {the Referring to Fig. 3,-the st ructure' 'therein illustrated comprises 'aportion of a vehicle frame 1. journaled'in the usual inannerjf'ito it plurality of wheeled a rles'2 between the i l ir i 3 of the frame. by 1 Suitable journal boxes Which are held m 0- for actuatingthe various types of guiding .or steering mechanisms embodied in present siti'o'n by-thefpede'stal binders ,4. A radial connected to the vehicle' frame l by a balljoiiit connection 7 with radius bar 8 com-. prising an integral portion of, thej tiruokf frame 5. The truck is further;connected to.

the vehicle by a center-pin co1'inection 9," jforming aparto f aswin'gbolster 10, which is pivotally. connected at the joints 11 to a.

plurality of .cain links 12,, associated with ;movable. supports 13,.Wliicl1' are adaptedto: jiIlOVQ vertically. infrcccsses 1d] of the. maini frame 5. i I, i The links 12 are provided with a plurality of rollers 15, the. outer joneS ,o-E which are adapted tosea't oi' itlie ino vziblesupports 13,,

and the :center roller being adapted to rest I 'in a notched portion of thet'ruck frame 5.

The supports 13 are providedwith an elon} gated opening -16, by

link 12, in their idle-position i The movable supports 13 are'i urthei j connected/to ithe trucklframe by plurality of links 17. and 1e eoinprisinga to g'gler omt thalt is' as m hiol11..tl1eyqai'e SuS-E the centerjroller. of thefoain 3 datedjwith a shifting? inechanisn conipr eip ing a screw thread i'ne niber 20 which ii'iay form an integral portion of the axle 6.,

A nut member 21, having a threaded por- [ti-on QQ Whic liMi'sadapted to co-operatively engage the screw-threaded member 20, is rotatably mounted on the shaft 6 by a pluralityfof' bearings 23 that are adapted to move parallel to the. longitudinal aX-i-s' of said shaft, ElllCl'lS connectedto the toggle 111611113613 by shifting levers 24. The nut is furtherprovided With a plurality of spring bumpers 25, which are adapted to seata 'ainst thesto is 26-formin a )art of tli'etruck frame 5-, for the purpose of restraining lateral movement thereof and to provide constant contact against the threads 7 to effect: engagement with the screw thread member 20.1 Thesliifting; levers 24 the are hingedfat their point of connection,

with the shifting mechanism and are secured in position bya pin 27. r I Gur'd 'evice' operates brieliy'as follows:

If the guide truck has a leading position on" the vehicle, its function is to provide positivesteering action to guide the vehicle body relative to the curvature of 'tli-e rail for the purpose of red iicmg flangejwear on twisting-and bending' andalso to provide stability, lVhen the truck is in a' trailing position, it inust'jbe so constructedas'to offer; the least resistance to the rail so as not to interfere with the proper operation of the vehicle. ;'-1:,

The features embodied in theabove-illustra te d radial truck provide for both the steering and the trailing functions automatically by means" of the earn-link toggleactuated steering mechanism. This -mecli-' I anism permits of supporting the outer'link H rollers :15 for positive steering by which the' p Q {swing bolster-"10$ isjadapted to be supported Yon butone roller of each'link, an outer and an inner; roller operating simultaneously, sdepen'dingon tlie"-di 'rection of the curve .of

Q the rail, and, in the idle position, the swing bo'lster' is supported on the center rollers direct on the truck. frame 5.

v The shifting'of the'link supports through the toggle mechanism is effectedthrouglrthe 1 f screw-and-nut mechanism and, for a rotaition of the axle in' a'given direction, the

nec'l'ianisinwillbe shifted toone side, which engages-the supportsfivith the outer rollers and, for the reverse direction, to the oppo site side", which dropsthei supportsland sus- Y so? pendsjthem by c enterroll'er direct to the truckframe, As illustrated in Fig. 1, the nut mechanism is in the pos-ition'of the shaft rotating in aleft-hand' direction from the right h'and side of the drawingjwhieh;

flshoyvs the link supports in position but,-im-

the" compression on the spring members '25,

mediately" upon the reversing of tl'iea'xle' 6,

i drive Wheels,fand -for mini miz'ing stresses set up in the veh cle body due to eii'ecting engagement of the threads 22 with v the threads 20, Wlll cause the nut member 21 totraverse towards the right-hand side of the thread? 20 which breaks theutoggle and" drops the support, thereby resting the links 12onth'e'ti uclr frame. It Will be readily seen that this provides a steering action of the center pin 9 hen the truck is a. leading positio n and, if

thetoggle connection is reversedyby the opmay be altered to'coinp'lyj with the specific service and operating conditions to Which such a device may be subjected, and 'the screw a ndqiut' mechanism may be of any design ithout respect to the number and pitch of'tlireadl depending upon the speedj'at which thec'hange froma leading to a trailing position is to be made; and the yielding" bumper members may be of anydesign, depending upon the" distance 10f travel .ofthe nut member and the contact-tobe'applied to c effect engagement oftlie'threads. =-Tl1e shifting mechanism may further be embodied in various'types of heart and cam linksuspen- 1 sions. These and other changes may be made in the details of construction without departing. from the prinei i s herem et? forth. 7

We claim as our invention any' suitable type of radial truck with,

I j 1 In a radial truck, the combinatioirof means .for provi'ding' positive steering'or trailing of thetru'ck relative to the? centerpiii connectiomand automatic means'for adjusting said connection to idle andto posi tive positions, said "steering means compris ing a plurality of] sew ng links suspended and said alftmilatlo changingmeans; comprising a screW-a-nd-nut mechanism which is operatively connected to saidl-inksf I EZQIn a radialtruck, the combination of" means for providing positive isteeringyor trailing of the truck relative to the center pin c'onnecti onyand automatic means for 'adjustingsai'd connection to? idle" and to posh;

tive positions, said steering meanscoinprising' a plurality of swing-links mounted upon movable supports associated with the truck frame, a" swing bolster"pivotally connected to said links; said-automatic changing means;

comprising a screw-threadedmember 'associ'ated' With the Wheel axlebf said truck, and

a; threaded housing engaging 'said screw,

Which is o'perativelyconnected to said" links. In a radlal truck, the combination of 7 from the supporting frame "of said truck' i which are: adapted to carry a swing bolster,

means for providing positive steering or trailing of the truck relatlve-to the centerpin connection, automatic means for adjust ing sa1d connectlon to ldle and to POSltlVB positions, said steeringmea-ns comprisinga plurality of swing links mounted upon movable supports associated with the truck frame, a swing bolster pivotally connected to said links, said automatic adjusting means comprising a screw-thread member associated with the wheel axle of said truck provided with yielding restraining members to effect engagement of the threaded portion, a threaded housing engaging said. screw, and a connecting rod for engaging saidlinks.

4. In a radial truck,'the combination of means for providing positive steering or trailing of the truck relative to the centerin connection, and automatic means for adusting said connection to idle'and to positive positions, said steering means comprising a plurality of swing links mounted upon movable supports associated with the truck frame and a swing bolsterpivotally connectg ed to saidvlinks, and said automatic-chang ing means comprising a screw-thread member associated with the Wheel axle of said truck, 'and a threaded housing engaging said screw which is operatively connected to said links. g I

5. A radial truck comprising a wheeled frame and radius bar construction, aswi'ng bolster comprising a center-pin mounting by which said truck is connected with the Ve-' hlcle frame, a plurality of swing links by c which said bolster islsus pended from movable supports associated with said frame, a

shifting device for actuating said supports COHlPIlSlng a screw-and-nut mechanism hav- 1 c 40 7 subscribed our names this 23rdf'day of April, 1923. I r a HAROLD, A. HOUSTON.

-. EBANK L. ALBEN. 

